by Lucy Monroe
Her whole body tensed and she tried to close her thighs as the import of his words sank in, but she was too late. He had already settled between them, his face so close to her feminine flesh that she felt his breath there. He turned and kissed the inside of one thigh and then licked her.
Oh, Heavens, he was licking a path to... to... Yes! There. Surely this was too scandalous, but it felt better than anything she’d ever known. His mouth was hot and wet and his tongue touched her intimately until she felt the shattering tension begin to coil within her.
She felt one finger slide inside her wet heat and groaned from the pleasure of it. She could not stop herself from moving against that finger anymore than she could have held her breath. It felt too good. He felt too good. His teeth nibbled that spot that brought her so much pleasure and the coiling tension inside her threatened to consume her.
"Jared, please, oh please, oh please."
He pulled his finger out of her femininity and she wanted to cry. "No. Please..."
But then his hand was back, this time pressing two big fingers inside of her. It hurt. It felt wonderful. It stretched almost unbearably, but she didn’t want him to stop and he didn’t. He kept up the intimate caress with his fingers and mouth until she was writhing and her body was slick with sweat.
She could feel the ultimate pleasure begin to overtake her and her body tightened in anticipation.
Jared felt it too, because he stopped and said, "This time I’m going to be in you."
He swarmed up her keeping her legs wide-open, until his hardened male flesh was positioned at the entrance to her body. Then, he pressed inside her with inexorable force. Her flesh stretched to accommodate his hardened maleness, and just as with his fingers there was both pain and indescribable pleasure. Until he hit the barrier that proclaimed her untouched. It hurt. Tears seeped out of her eyes as she tried not to give into the urge to push him away.
He stopped. "I don’t want to hurt you, but it will only last a little while."
She nodded, beyond speech.
With one great thrust, he broke past her body’s barrier and was deep inside her. She cried out at the pain of it and he stilled. She tried to move under the massive weight of his body, to ease the discomfort. He groaned.
"Please, mon ange, don’t move."
She couldn’t help it. "I have to." And she did. Only this time when she shifted her hips, she felt unexpected pleasure zing through her body. "Oh."
Jared heard the small exclamation and bit back a shout of thanks. Her little movements were driving him over the brink and he couldn’t stay still another second. He pulled back and thrust into her as gently as he could, but when he felt her flesh mold to the shape of his shaft and her thighs tighten around him, he was lost.
He drove into her again and again, rolling his hips on each deep thrust, hoping the sounds she was making were of pleasure and not discomfort. Then she convulsed around him, sobbing out his name and he spilled his seed into her with a roar that probably deafened her.
He collapsed on top of her, their bodies slick with sweat. He had never experienced anything like this in his life.
His angel was so responsive, he was still reeling from the way she’d found completion against his body while he sucked her nipples. Once again he thanked God for Clairborne’s stupidity. Realizing that he was much too big to use his wife as a mattress, he rolled to the side and pulled her against his body.
She snuggled into his side. "That was wonderful. Thank you, Jared."
He almost laughed aloud that she would thank him. "The pleasure was all mine, Cali."
She laughed sleepily and he rejoiced in the sound. He wanted to hear his too-serious wife laugh more often.
"I’d say the pleasure was definitely mutual, my lord husband."
***
Calantha woke the next morning pinned to the bed by a heavy arm and even heavier thigh. She inhaled Jared’s masculine scent and snuggled against him. She had had no idea that marriage could be like this. The special intimacy of not only making love, but sleeping in one another’s arms, wrapped around her like a cloak of contentment.
Everything had changed and she never wanted to go back to the lonely, frozen existence she had known when she met Jared. She now had a passionate husband, who might not love her, but clearly wanted her. She’d never known the kind of desire he showed for her and yet he tempered it with self-control and brought her body pleasure while conquering her heart in the process.
She had a daughter, a sweet little pixie of a girl who lit Calantha’s days with her smiles and warmed the last vestiges of her cold soul. It was all so wonderful that it was frightening. This kind of happiness came at a price, she was sure of it. Yet, for now, it had been given her freely for the taking. And she would take it. She would be wife and mother. Friend and sister.
Curling closer to Jared, she let memories of the previous evening wash over her. After consummating their marriage, she and Jared had fallen asleep and woke to make love again. He hadn’t wanted to press her, but the evidence of his desire had been unmistakable and she had prevailed.
The knowledge that she had the power to seduce him warmed her and brought a secret smile to her lips.
They had eaten a late dinner, dressed in nothing but nightrobes - an act as intimate as making love. Then Jared had insisted she soak in a very hot tub. It had helped with the soreness and she had gone to sleep more relaxed than she had ever been. She contemplated waking Jared with a kiss, but the residual soreness between her legs decided her against it.
He had said she should take another bath this morning and wait to make love again until her inner flesh had an opportunity to heal.
She had every intention of being healed by that night, but she would forego intimate tussling with Jared this morning. After all, there was still a lot of packing to do and he insisted they leave the next day. Besides, the poor man looked exhausted.
Careful not to wake him, she slid from the bed and went to the adjoining chamber to dress.
When Jared came downstairs an hour and a half later, she had already sorted several drawers of her papers. He walked over to where she sat at the dining table surrounded by piles of her parents’ notes and her own, and placed a soft kiss on her temple. "Good morning, wife."
She smiled at him, feeling an effervescent bubble of happiness light her eyes. "Good morning, husband."
The expression of arrested wonder on his face mesmerized her and she did not turn her attention to Thomas until the butler had repeated himself twice.
"My lord and lady, you have visitors in the parlor. Lord Ashton and Mr. Drake."
So, now that she was no longer a duchess, her parlor was no longer a drawing room. She smiled at the elderly servant. "Thank you, Thomas. We will be in directly."
Jared nodded his agreement and Thomas left.
"I wonder what your brothers want," Calantha mused as she followed Jared into the other room.
"I don’t know, but they’re bloody lucky not to catch us in bed."
She felt the heat of a blush stain her cheeks. "It’s midmorning, of course we would be up."
"We wouldn’t be if you hadn’t snuck out of our bed before I woke up." The sensual promise in his voice sent shivers down the back of her legs.
But she could not speak. She was not used to this game of amorous bantering yet.
Jared let out a low, rich chuckle. "Don’t tell me you are embarrassed after last night."
How could she not be after what she…they had done? "Perhaps a little," she admitted, infusing her voice with the duchess tone.
He turned and smiled down at her, his eyes full of wicked humor. "Maybe after tonight it will be more than a little."
What could be more embarrassing than what they had done last night?
"There is still a great deal I have to teach you about satisfying your husband, mon ange," he said, reading her mind.
She tried to frown at his arrogance, but could not suppress a smile. The thought of Jar
ed teaching her more of what she had experienced in his arms last night filled her with anticipation.
"I am a very eager pupil," she said and then blushed even hotter at her own impudence.
He was laughing when they entered the parlor.
Ashton and Drake stood near the fireplace, their looks of serious regard drying up Jared’s laughter.
"What?" Jared asked, "Has something happened to Hannah?"
"No," Ashton replied, "She’s fine."
"Then why in the bloody hell do you both look like Langley’s just returned from his trip to the continent and threatened to take up residence in your homes?"
Drake’s mouth tipped in an almost smile before returning to its earlier serious lines. "The would-be kidnapper has been caught."
Jared’s entire body vibrated with sudden purpose. "That’s bloody good news. How did it happen?"
"He was spotted in the village and apprehended by the local magistrate. He’s in gaol now," Drake replied.
"Then, let’s go question him." Jared looked fully prepared to leave the house that very moment.
Calantha’s heart filled with hope. She hated the idea that some unnamed monster had been running free that might kidnap another child. She wanted answers too. Why had the man known Hannah’s name and what had he been doing on Ashton property?
"We’ve already questioned him. The magistrate came to me with the news that he had been caught early yesterday evening."
Jared glared at his brother-in-law. "Why didn’t you come and get me? It was my daughter the bastard tried to take."
"It was also your wedding night," Drake remarked somewhat dryly.
Jared’s frown didn’t lighten. "You should have come to get me."
Calantha wasn’t in the least offended that Jared would have gone on their wedding night. Hannah’s safety was more important than making love. She could have waited. At least she thought so, she acknowledged honestly. There were times the evening before that she hadn’t had even a shred of her usual self-control.
"We’re here now," Ashton said.
Jared made a visible effort to rein in his impatience. "So, what did you learn?"
"He told us who hired him to kidnap Hannah." Ashton didn’t sound pleased by that fact.
"Who was it?" Jared demanded.
Someone had hired the blackguard? Calantha could not imagine who would wish to do the child harm. She waited in silence for her new brother-in-law to answer.
Drake looked at Calantha with something like sorrow in his eyes. "The Angel."
CHAPTER TWELVE
"The hell she did." Jared’s roar echoed off the ceiling of the small room. He rammed his large fist into his other hand. "I’ll talk to him and find out just what the bloody hell he thinks he’s doing accusing my wife."
Calantha stood perfectly still. Jared’s disbelief and threats only registered in part of her mind. The other part was trying to deal with the terror of being accused of the heinous crime. How many times had she faced unjust accusations, powerless to defend her innocence or herself against her husband’s anger because of them?
"I already talked to him. He believes the Angel hired him." Ashton spoke with frightening certainty.
What if Jared believed him?
"He’ll change his tune and start singing the truth when I get hold of him."
Jared’s continued defense loosened something inside of Calantha. He didn’t believe she was guilty. He would listen to her. This was not Clairborne Park. She did not need to fear speaking in her own defense.
Shame at the fact that she’d stood silent, allowing Ashton to make his accusations gnawed at her. "I didn’t do it."
As impassioned defenses went, it wasn’t much, but for a woman who had stood in mute dread time and again while her husband passed judgment, the words represented inner-strength she had not possessed at one time.
Drake’s gaze raked her. "He says you came to him wearing a black gown, long black gloves and a veil that obscured your face, but he could tell you had blonde hair and an angel’s beauty. He said you smelled like roses."
She shook her head and then forced herself to speak again. "I have not worn black since the one year anniversary of Deveril’s death."
She did smell like roses. She couldn’t deny it. She bathed regularly in water scented from her conservatory flowers.
Ashton turned to her. "Do you still have your widow’s weeds from after Clairborne’s death?"
The sound of his voice was like a trap closing around her. She could feel it and yet was powerless to lie to protect herself. She reminded herself that the truth could not hurt her; only the ugly lies of a madman threatened her. "Yes."
"Where are they?" Ashton asked, his voice almost gentle.
She forced her lungs to take air and expel it before answering. "In the attic."
"Do you own such an outfit as the one Drake described?"
Why was he asking all these questions? Did he hope to prove her guilt? Why? "Yes."
Jared put his hands on her shoulders. "That doesn’t prove a bloody thing. Most women of the ton have a black dress and veil for mourning."
The band constricting her chest loosened and she stepped backward, seeking the warmth of her huge husband’s body. She needed it very badly right now. As her back touched Jared’s hard body, she felt some of the tension drain from her. He would protect her from that blackguard’s insinuations.
Jared could feel Calantha’s terror and it confused him. Surely she knew he wouldn’t let the bastard kidnapper get away with trying to accuse her of the crime. He and his brother-in-laws would get to the bottom of this.
He caressed her neck in a soothing motion. He knew she wasn’t going to like what he was about to suggest. Hell, he didn’t like it, but it was the only way to establish the truth. "We’ll take Cali to the bastard and he’ll have to admit he’s never met her."
Then they could start looking for the real culprit.
Calantha’s body stiffened. Go to the gaol to meet with the blackguard? She couldn’t do it. What if he accused her to Jared’s face? What if Jared believed him? "No."
Jared’s hands tightened on her shoulders. "It’s the only way, Cali."
"If you’re innocent, meeting the man should not frighten you," Ashton added.
How could she explain her fear to them?
She had too many experiences being punished for supposed crimes when she was innocent. After the first month of marriage, her husband had conceived a mad jealousy of any gentleman who spoke to her longer than a few seconds. He said her sluttish ways were one more reason he would not come to her bed, that and her emptiness. Just a marble statue, with nothing but her beauty to sustain her.
She was not a marble statue. She had a mind and a heart. Jared had helped her realize the last. She had to trust him. He had helped her reclaim her humanity.
"If you believe it is best, Jared, then I will go."
Ashton’s eyes flared in surprise and Drake looked strangely satisfied.
***
The gaol was nothing more than a mean little building with bars over its single window. It looked much like her own potting shed from the outside and was located on the magistrate’s estate at the other end of the village from Ashton Manor and Rose Cottage.
Jared held her arm protectively as the magistrate led them into the dimly lit interior. Calantha lifted her skirts to avoid the thick layer of dust on the floor.
A man sat on the lone bench, his leg secured in an iron attached to the floor. In the carriage on the way over, Ashton had said his name was Willem. He wore a dirty coat and even filthier shirt and his breeches were stained in several places. Hannah had been right. The man was rank. Calantha could smell him as soon as she walked in the door. Trying not to take deep breaths in case she became nauseous from the odor, she hesitated, but Jared’s hold propelled her forward.
"So, you’ve come to visit me, ‘ave you, luv?"
She shivered as the man spoke to her as if he knew her.
/> Jared released her arm and took a threatening step toward the kidnapper. Willem cringed at the look of blatant hostility in Jared’s face.
"You told the magistrate that the Angel hired you." Jared made the words sound like an accusation.
Willem rallied to belligerence. "Aye, that she did."
"I do not know this person." Out of habit developed to hide her nervousness, she spoke in the tones of the duchess she used to be.
"Just like the quality. ‘ire a man to do a bit ‘o work for ye, but throw ‘im to the wolves when it goes sour."
Jared grabbed Willem by the lapels of his grimy jacket and lifted him as far as the leg iron would permit. "My wife says she does not know you."
"Well, there’s knowin’ and there’s knowin’. Wouldn’t talk to me in the street, she wouldn’t, but she ‘ired me all right. Paid me good blunt to nab that little knicker. Weren’t my fault I couldn’t deliver. The kiddie was smart like."
Jared shook him and spittle flew from the rough man’s mouth. "Tell us the truth, damn you."
"Put him down," Ashton barked.
Jared ignored him. "I want the truth."
"I’m tellin’ you the truth," Willem whined, "That duchess lady is what ‘hired me. Told me to take the little knicker to the shed in the trees be’ind ‘er ‘ouse, but the kiddie got away and I didn’t get paid."
Jared tossed the man back onto the bench, his body shaking with rage. Calantha was shaking too, but not with anger. If she didn’t know that she hadn’t done it, she would believe the awful little man. He was too terrified to lie convincingly.
She stepped forward, until she was close enough for him to get a good look. "I’ve never met you, how can you say I hired you to kidnap my daughter?"
"She waren’t your daughter then, was she? You said she was a little blight that would embarrass you, you did."
Calantha thought she would throw up at the cruel words. She started shaking and backed up until she ran into Ashton’s unmoving form.
"Is this the woman that hired you?" he asked the other man.
"Yes. I said it, didn’t I? Face like an angel, she ‘as, but her ‘eart’s not so pure." He cackled as if he’d made a wondrously funny joke.